National
Science Education Content Standards K-4 and 5-8

Science Content Standards

Unifying Concepts and Processes In Science For All Grades

Systems, Order, and Organization

Systems units of investigation, an organized group of
related objects or components that form a whole. (organisms, machines,
fundamental particles, galaxies, ideas, numbers, transportation, and education.
Systems have boundaries, components, resources flow (input and output),
and feedback.

Order is the behavior of units of matter, objects, organisms,
or events in the universe. It can be described statistically. Probability
is the relative certainty or uncertainty that individuals can assign to
selected events happening or not happening in a specified space or time.
In science reduction of uncertainty occurs through such processes as the
development of knowledge about factors influencing objects, organisms,
systems, or events; better and more observations; and better explanatory
models.

Organization include different types and levels. Types
include periodic table of elements, classification of organisms... Levels
include matter - fundamental particles, atoms, molecules, and organism
- cells, tissues, organs. organisms, populations, communities. Levels
can change according to needs and interactions between the levels occur.

Evidence, Models, and Explanations

Evidence consists of observations and data on which to
base scientific explanations. Use of evidence helps to understand interactions
and predict changes in natural and designed systems.

Models are tentative schemes or structures that correspond
to real objects, events, or classes of events, and that have explanatory
power for how things work. (Physical objects, plans, mental constructs,
mathematical equations, and computer simulations.

Scientific explanations incorporate scientific knowledge
and new evidence from observation, experiments, or models into internally
consistent, logical statements. (hypothesis, model, law, principle, theory,
and paradigm are used to describe various types of scientific explanations.)

Constancy, Change, and Measurement

Constancy (speed of light, charge of electron, mass plus
energy in the universe)

Change (Properties of matter, position of objects, motion,
form and function of systems.) Changes also vary in rate, scale, and pattern,
including trends and cycles. Energy can be transferred and matter can
be changed, however the sum of matter and energy in systems remains the
same.

Measurement Changes can be quantified. Evidence for interactions
and subsequent change and the formulation of scientific explanations are
often clarified through quantitative distinctions - measurement. Scale
includes understanding that different characteristics, properties, or
relationships within a system might change as its dimensions are increased
or decreased. Rate involves comparing one measured quantity with another
measure quantity (50 meters per second). Rate is also a measure of change
for a part relative to the whole, (birth rate as part of population growth).

Evolution and Equilibrium

Evolution is a series of changes, some gradual and some
sporadic, that accounts for the present form and function of objects,
organisms, and natural and designed systems. The general idea of evolution
is that the present arises from materials and forms of the past.

Equilibrium is a physical state in which forces and changes
occur in opposite and off-setting directions. Opposite forces are of the
same magnitude, or off-seting changes occur at equal rates. Steady state,
balance, or homeostasis also describe equilibrium states. Interacting
units of matte tend toward equilibrium states in which the energy is distributed
as randomly and uniformly as possible.

Form and Function

Form shape of an object or system.

Function use or operation of an object or system.

Form and function are complementary aspects of objects,
organisms, and systems in the natural and designed world. The form or
shape of an object or system is frequently related to use, operation,
or function. Function frequently relies on form. Understanding of form
and function applies to different levels of organization Students should
be able to explain form by referring to function and explain function
by referring to form.

Content Standards: K-4

Science as Inquiry Content
Standard A

As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students
should develop an understanding of

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

Understanding about scientific inquiry

Physical Science Content Standard B

As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students
should develop an understanding of

Properties of objects and materials

Objects have many observable properties, including
size, weight, shape, temperature, and the ability to react with other
substances. Those properties can be measured using tools, such as rulers,
balances, and thermometers.

Objects are made of one or more materials, such as
paper, wood, and metal. Objects can be described by the properties of
the materials from which they are made, and those properties can be
used to separate or sort a group of objects or materials.

Materials can exist in different states- solids, liquids,
and gas. Some common materials, such as water, can be changed from one
state to another by heating or cooling.

Position and motion of objects

The position of an object can be described by locating
it relative to another object or the background.

An objects motion can be described by tracing
and measuring its position over time.

The position and motion of objects can be changed by
pushing or pulling. The size of the change is related to the strength
of the push or pull.

Sound is produced by vibrating objects. The pitch of
the sound can be varied by changing the rate of vibrations.

Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism

Light travels in a straight line until it strikes an
object. Light can be reflected by a mirror, refracted by a lens, or
absorbed by the object.

Heat can be produced in many ways, such as burning,
rubbing, or mixing one substance with another. Heat can move from one
object to another by conduction.

Electricity in circuits can produce light, hear, sound,
and magnetic effects. Electrical circuits require a complete loop through
which an electrical current can pass.

Magnets attract and repel each other and certain kinds
of other materials.

Life Science Content Standard C

The characteristics of organisms

Organisms have basic needs, For example, animals need
air, water, and food; plants require air, water, nutrients, and light.
Organisms can survive only in environments in which their needs can
be met. The world has many different environments, and distinct environments
support the life of different types of organisms.

Each plant of animal has different structures that
serve different functions in growth, survival, and reproduction. For
example, humans have distinct body structures for walking, holding,
seeing, and talking.

The behavior of individual organisms is influenced
by internal cues (such as hunger) and external cues (such as changes
in the environment). Humans and other organisms have senses that help
them detect internal and external cues.

Life cycles of organisms

Plants and animals have life cycles that include being
born, developing into adults, reproducing, and eventually dying. The
details of this life cycle are different for different organisms.

Plants and animals closely resemble their parents.

Many characteristics of an organism are inherited from
the parents of the organism, but other characteristics result from an
individuals interactions with the environment. Inherited characteristics
include the color of flowers and the number of limbs of an animal. Other
features, such as the ability to ride a bicycle, are learned through
interactions with the environment and cannot be passes on to the next
generation.

Organisms and environments

All animals depend on plants. Some animals eat plants
for food. Other animals eat animals that eat the plants.

An organisms [patterns of behavior are related
to the nature of that organisms environment, including the kinds
and numbers of other organisms present, the availability of food and
resources, and the physical characteristics of the environment. When
the environment changes, some plants and animals survive and reproduce,
and others die or move into new locations.

All organisms cause changes in the environment where
they live. Some of these changes are detrimental to the organism or
other organisms, where as others are beneficial.

Humans depend on their natural and constructed environments.
Humans change environments in ways that can be either beneficial or
detrimental for themselves and other organisms.

Earth and Space Science Content
Standard D

As a result of their activities in grades K-4, all students
should develop an understanding of

Properties of earth materials

Earth materials are solid rocks and soils, water, and
gases of the atmosphere. The varied materials have different physical
and chemical properties, which make them useful in different ways, for
example, as building materials, as sources of fuel, or for growing the
plants we use as food. Earth materials provide many of the resources
that humans use.

Soils have properties of color and texture, capacity
to retain water, and ability to support the growth of many kinds of
plants, including those in our food supply.

Fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals
that lived long ago and the nature of the environment at that time.

Objects in the sky

The sun, moon, stars, clouds, birds, and airplanes
all have properties, locations, and movements that can be observed and
described.

The sun provides the light and hear necessary to maintain
the temperature of the earth.

Change in earth and sky

The surface of the earth changes. Some changes are
due to slow processes, such s erosion and weathering, and some changes
are due to rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions,
and earthquakes.

Weather changes from day to day and over the seasons.
Weather can be described by measurable quantities, such as temperature,
wind direction and speed, and precipitation.

Objects in the sky have patterns of movement. The sun,
for example, appears to move across the sky in the same way every day,
but its path changes slowly over the seasons. The moon moves across
the sky on a daily basis much like the sun. The observable shape of
the moon changes from day to day in a cycle that lasts about a month.

Science and Technology Content
Standard E

As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students
should develop

Abilities of technological design

Identify a simple problem. Explain a problem in their
own words, identify a specific task and solution related to the problem.

Propose a solution. Make proposals to build or improve
something. They should be able to communicate their ideas. Students
should recognize that designing a solution might have constraints, such
as cost, materials, time, space. or safety.

Implement proposed solutions. Work individually and
collaboratively and to use suitable tools, techniques, and quantitative
measurements when appropriate. Should demonstrate the ability to balance
simple constraints in problem solving. Evaluate a product or design.
Student should evaluate their own results or solutions to problems,
as well as those of other children, by considering how well a product
or design met the challenge to solve a problem. When possible, students
should use measurements and include constraints and other criteria in
their evaluations. They should modify designs based on the results of
evaluations.

Communicate a problem, design, and solution. Student
abilities should include oral, written, and pictorial commun ication
of the design process and product. The communication might be show and
ell, group discussions, short written reports, or pictures, depending
on the students abilities and the design project.

Understanding about science and technology

People have always had questions about their world.
Science is one way of answering questions and explaining the natural
world.

People have always had problems and invented tools
and techniques (ways of doing something) to solve problems.

Trying to determine the effects of solutions helps
people avoid some new problems.

Scientists and engineers often work in teams with different
individuals doing different things that contribute to the results. This
understanding focuses primarily on teams working together and secondarily,
on the combination of scientist and engineer teams.

Women and men of all ages, backgrounds, and groups
engage in a variety of scientific and technological work.

Tools help scientists make better observations, measurements,
and equipment for investigations. They help scientists see, measure,
and do things that they could not otherwise see, measure, and do.

Abilities to distinguish between natural objects and
objects made by humans.

Some objects occur in nature; others have been designed
and made by people to solve human problems and enhance the quality of
life.

Objects can be categorized into two groups, natural
and designed

Science in Personal and Social
Perspectives Content Standard F:

As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students
should develop understanding of

Personal health

Safety and security are basic needs of humans. Safety
involves freedom from danger, risk, or injury. Security involves feelings
of confidence and lack of anxiety and fear. Student understandings include
following safety rules for home and school, preventing abuse and neglect,
avoiding injury, knowing whom to ask for help, and when and how to say
no.

Individuals have some responsibility for their own
health. Students should engage in personal care-dental hygiene, cleanliness,
and exercise-that will maintain and improve health. Understandings include
how communicable diseases, such as colds, are transmitted and some of
the bodys defense mechanisms that prevent or overcome illness.

Nutrition is essential to health, Students should understand
how the body uses food and how various foods contribute to health. Recommendations
for good nutrition include eating a variety of foods, eating less sugar,
and eating less fat.

Different substances can damage the body and how it
functions. Such substances include tobacco, alcohol, over the counter
medicines, and illicit drugs. Students should understand that some substances,
such as prescription drugs, can be beneficial, but that any substance
can be harmful if used inappropriately.

Characteristics and changes in human populations

Human populations include groups of individuals living
in a particular location. One important characteristic of a human population
is the population density-the number of individuals of a particular
population that lives in a given amount of space.

The size of a human population can increase or decrease.
Populations will increase unless other factors such as disease or famine
decreases the population.

Types of human resources

Resources are things that we get from the living and
nonliving environment to meet the needs and wants of a population.

Some resources are basic materials, such as air, water,
and soil some are produced from basic resources, such as food,
fuel, and building materials; and some resources are nonmaterial, such
as quiet places, beauty, security, and safety.

The supply of many resources is limited. If used, resources
can be extended through recycling and decreased use.

Changes in human environments

Environments are the space, conditions, and factors
that affect an individuals and a populations ability to
survive and their quality of life.

Changes in environments can be natural or influenced
by humans. Some changes are good, some are bad, and some are neither
good nor bad. Pollution is a change in the environment that can influence
the health, survival, or activities of organisms, including humans.

Some environmental changes occur slowly. and others
occur rapidly. Students should understand the different consequences
of changing environments in small increments over long periods as compared
with changing environments in large increments over short periods.

Science and technology in local challenges

People continue inventing new ways of doing things,
solving problems, and getting work done. New ideas and inventions often
affect other people sometimes the effects are good and sometimes
they are bad . It is helpful to try to determine in advance how ideas
and inventions will affect other people.

Science and technology have greatly improved food quality
and quantity, transportation, health, sanitation, and communication.
These benefits of science and technology are not available to all of
the people in the world.

History & Nature of Science Content
Standard G:

As a result of activities in grades K-4, all students
should develop understanding of

Science as a human endeavor

Science and technology have been practiced by people
for a long time.

Men and women have made a variety of contributions
throughout the history of science and technology.

Although men and women using scientific inquiry have
learned much about the objects, events, and phenomena in nature, much
more remains to be understood. Science will never be finished.

Many people choose science as a career and devote their
entire lives to studying it. Many people derive great pleasure from
doing science.

Content Standards 5-8

Science as Inquiry Content Standard A:

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students
should develop

Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry

Understanding about scientific inquiry

Physical Science Content Standard B:

As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students
should develop an understanding of

Properties and changes of properties in matter

A substance has characteristics properties, such as
density, a boiling point, and solubility, all of which are independent
of the amount of the sample. A mixture of substances often can be separated
into the original substances using one or more of the characteristic
properties.

Substances react chemically in characteristic ways
with other substances to form new substances (compounds) with different
characteristics properties. I chemical reactions, the total mass is
conserved. Substances often are placed in categories or groups if they
react in similar ways; metals is an example of such a group.

Chemical elements do not break down during normal laboratory
reactions involving such treatments as heating, exposure to electric
current, or reaction with acids. There are more than 100 know elements
that combine in a multitude of ways to produce compounds, which account
for the living and nonliving substances that we encounter.

Motions and forces

The motion of an object can be described by its position,
direction of motion, and speed. That motion can be measure and represented
on a graph.

An object that is not being subjected to a force will
continue to more at a constant speed and in a straight line.

If more than one force acts on an object along a straight
line, then the forces will reinforce or cancel one another, depending
on their direction and magnitude. Unbalanced forces will cause changes
in the speed or direction of an objects motion.

Transfer of energy

Energy is a property of many substance and is associated
with heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and
the nature of a chemical. Energy is transferred in many ways.

Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer
objects to cooler ones, until both react the same temperature.

Light interacts with matter by transmission (including
refraction), absorption, or scattering (including reflection). To see
an object, light from that object-emitted by or scattered from it-must
enter the eye.

In most chemical and nuclear reactions, energy is transferred
into or out of a system. Heat, light, mechanical motion, or electricity
might all be involved in such transfers.

The sun us a major source of energy for changes on
the earths surface. The sun loses energy by emitting light. A
tiny fraction of that light reaches the earth, transferring energy from
the sun to the earth. The suns energy arrives as light with a
range of wavelengths, consisting of visible light, infrared, and ultraviolet
radiation.

Life Science Content Standard C:

As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all
students should develop understanding of

Structure and function in living systems

Living systems at all levels of organization demonstrate
the complementary nature of structure and function. Important levels
of organization for structure and function include cells, organs, tissues,
organ systems, whole organisms, and ecosystems

All organisms are composed of cells-the fundamental
unit of life. Most organisms are single cells; other organisms, including
humans, are multicellular.

Cells carry on the many functions needed to sustain
life. They grow divide, thereby producing more cells. This requires
that they take in nutrients, which they use to provide energy for the
work that cells do and to make the materials that a cell or an organism
needs.

Specialized cells perform specialized functions in
multicellular organisms, Groups of specialized cells cooperate to form
a tissue, such as a muscle. Different tissues are in turn grouped together
to form larger functional units, called organs, Each type of cell, tissue,
and organ has a distinct structure and set of functions that serve the
organism as a whole.

The human organism has systems for digestion, respiration,
reproduction, circulation, excretion, movement, control and coordination,
and for protection from disease. These systems interact with one another.

Disease is a breakdown in structures or functions of
an organism. Some diseases are the result of intrinsic failures of the
system. Other are the result of damage by infection by other organisms.

Reproduction and heredity

Reproduction is a characteristic of all living systems;
because no individual organism lives forever, reproduction is essential
to the continuation of every species. Some organisms reproduce asexually.
Other organisms reproduce sexually.

In many species, including humans, females produce
eggs and males produce sperm, plants also reproduce sexually-the egg
and sperm are produced in the flowers of flowering plants. An egg and
sperm unite to begin development of a new individual. That new individual
receives genetic information from its mother (via the egg) and its father
(via the sperm). Sexually produced offspring never are identical to
either of their parents.

Every organism requires a set of instructions for specifying
its traits. Heredity is the passage of these instruction from one generation
to another.

Heredity information is contained in genes, located
in the chromosomes of each cell. Each gene carries a single unit of
information. An inherited trait of an individual can be determined by
one or by many genes, and a signal gene can influence more than one
trait. A human cell contains many thousands of different genes.

The characteristics of an organism can be described
in terms of a combination of traits. Some traits are inherited and others
result from interactions with the environment.

Regulation and behavior

All organisms must be able to obtain and use resources,
grow, reproduce, and maintain stable internal conditions while living
in a constantly changing external environment.

Regulation of an organisms internal environment
involves sensing the internal environment and changing physiological
activities to keep conditions within the range required to survive.

Behavior is one kind of response an organism can make
to an internal or environmental stimulus. A behavioral response requires
coordination and communication at many levels, including cells, organ
systems, and whole organisms. Behavioral response is a set of actions
determined in part by heredity and in part from experience.

An organisms behavior evolves through adaptation
to its environment. How a species moves, obtains food, reproduces, and
responds to danger are based in the species evolutionary history.

Populations and ecosystems

A population consists of all individuals of a species
that occur together at a given place and time. All populations living
together and the physical factors with which they interact compose an
ecosystem.

Populations of organisms can be categorized by the
function they serve in an ecosystem. Plants and some microorganisms
are producers- they make their own food. All animals, including humans,
are consumers, which obtain food by eating other organisms.

Decomposers, primarily bacteria and fungi, are consumers
that use waste materials and dead organisms for food. Food webs identify
the relationships among producers, consumers, and decomposers in an
ecosystem.

For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sun light.
Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into
chemical energy through photosynthesis. That energy then passes from
organism to organism in food webs.

The number of organisms an ecosystem can support depends
on the resources available and abiotic factors, such as quantity of
light and water, range of temperatures, and soil composition. Given
adequate biotic and abiotic and no disease of predators, populations
(including humans) increase at rapid rates. Lack of resources and other
factors, such as predation and climate, limit the growth of population
in specific niches in the ecosystem.

Diversity and adaptations of organisms.

Millions of species of animals, plants, and microorganisms
are alive today. Although different species might look dissimilar, the
unity among organisms become apparent from and analysis of internal
structures, the similarity of their chemical processes, and the evidence
of common ancestry.

Biological evolution accounts for the diversity of
species developed through gradual processes over many generations. Species
acquire many of their unique characteristics through biological adaptation,
which involves the selection of naturally occurring variations in populations.
Biological adaptations include changes in structures, behaviors, or
physiology that enhance survival and reproduction success in a particular
environment.

Extinction of a species occurs when the environment
changes and the adaptive characteristics of a species are insufficient
to allow its survival. Fossils indicate that many organisms that lived
long ago are extinct. Extinction of species is common; most of the species
that have lived on the earth no longer exist.

Earth and Space Science Content Standard D:

As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all
students should develop an understanding of

Structure of the earth system

The solid earth is layered with a lithosphere, hot,
convecting mantle; and dense, metallic core.

Lithospheric plates on the scales of continents and
oceans constantly move at rates of centimeters per year in response
to movements in the mantle. Major geological events, such as earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, and mountain building, result from these plate motions.

Land forms are the results of a combination of constructive
and destructive forces. Constructive forces include crustal deformation,
volcanic eruption, and deposition of sediment, while destructive forces
include weathering and erosion.

Some changes in the solid earth can be described as
the "rock cycle". Old rocks at the earths surface weather,
forming sediments that are buried, then compacted, heated, and often
recrystallized into new rock. Eventually, those new rocks may be brought
to the surface by the forces that drive plate motions, and the rock
cycle continues.

Soil consists of weathered rocks and decomposed organic
materials from dead plants, animals, and bacteria. Soils are often found
in layers, with each having a different chemical composition and texture.

Water, which covers the majority of the earths
surface, circulates through the crust, oceans, and atmosphere in what
is known as the "water cycle". Water evaporates from the earths
surface, rises and cools as it moves to higher elevations, condenses
as rain or snow, and falls t the surface where it collects in lakes,
oceans, soil, and in rocks underground.

Water is a solvent. As it passes through the water
cycle it dissolves minerals and gases and carries them to the oceans.

The atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and
trace gases that include water vapor. The atmosphere has different properties
at different elevations.

Clouds, formed by the condensation of water vapor,
affect weather and climate.

Global patterns of atmospheric movement influence local
weather. Oceans have a major effect on climate, because water in the
oceans holds a large amount of heat.

Living organisms have played many roles in the earth
system, including affecting the composition of the atmosphere, producing
some types of rocks, and contributing to the weathering of rocks.

Earths history

The earth processes we see today, including erosion,
movement of lithospheric plates, and changes in atmospheric composition,
are similar to those that occurred in the past, earth history is also
influenced by occasional catastrophes, such as the impact of an asteroid
or comet.

Fossils provide important evidence of how life and
environmental conditions have changed.

Earth in the solar system

The earth is the third planer from the sun in a system
that includes the moon, the sun, eight other planets and their moons,
and smaller objects, such as asteroids and comets. The sun, an average
star, is the central and largest body in the solar system.

Most objects in the solar system are in regular and
predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena as the day,
the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses.

Gravity is the force that keeps planets in orbit around
the sun and governs the rest of the motion in the solar system. Gravity
alone holds us to the earths surface, and explains the phenomena
of the tides.

The sun is the major source of energy for phenomena
on the earths surface, such as growth of plants, winds, ocean
currents, and the water cycle. Seasons result from variations in the
amount of the suns energy hitting the surface, due to the tilt
of the earths rotation on its axis and the length of the day.

Science and Technology Content Standard E:

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students
should develop

Abilities of technological design

Identify appropriate problems for technological design.
Students should develop their abilities by identifying a specified need,
considering its various aspects, and talking to different potential
users or beneficiaries. They should appreciate that for some needs,
the cultural backgrounds and beliefs of different groups can affect
the criteria for a suitable product.

Design a solution or product. Student should make and
compare different proposals in the light of the criteria they have selected.
They must consider constraints-such as cost, time, trade-odds, and materials
needed- and communicate ideas with drawing and simple models.

Implement a proposed design. Students should organize
materials and other resources, plan their work, make good use of group
collaboration where appropriate, choose suitable tools and techniques,
and work with appropriate measurement methods to ensure adequate accuracy.

Evaluate completed technological designs or products.
Students should use criteria relevant to the original purpose or need,
consider a variety of factors that might affect acceptability and suitability
for intended users or beneficiaries, and develop measures of quality
with respect to such criteria and factors; they should also suggest
improvements and, for their own products, try propose modification.

Communicate the process of technological design, Students
should review and describe any completed piece of work and identify
the stages of problem identification, solution design, implementation,
and evaluation.

Understandings about science and technology.

Scientific inquiry and technological design have similarities
and differences. Scientists propose explanations for questions about
the natural world, and engineers propose solutions relating to human
problems, needs, and aspirations. Technological solutions are temporary;
technologies exist within nature and so they cannot contravene physical
or biological principles; technological solutions have side effects;
and technologies cost, carry risks, and provide benefits.

Many different people in different cultures have made
and continue to make contributions to science and technology.

Science and technology are reciprocal. Science helps
drive technology, as it addresses questions that demand more sophisticated
instruments and provides principles for better instrumentation and technique.
Technology is essential to science, because it provides instruments
and techniques that enable observations of objects and phenomena that
are other wise unobservable due to factors such as quantity, distance,
location, size, and speed. Technology also provides tools for investigations,
inquiry, and analysis.

Perfectly designed solutions do not exist. All technological
solutions have tradeoffs, such as safety, cost, efficiency, and appearance.
Engineers often build in back-up systems to provide safety. Risk is
part of living in a highly technological world. Reducing risk often
results in new technology.

Technological designs have constraints. Some constraints
are unavoidable, for example, properties of materials, or effects of
weather and friction; other constraints limit choices in the design,
for example, environmental protection, human safety, and aesthetics.

Technological solutions have intended benefits and
unintended consequences. Some consequences can be predicted, others
cannot.

Science in Personal and Social Perspectives Content
Standard F:

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students
should develop understanding of

Personal health

Regular exercise in important to the maintenance and
improvement of health. The benefits of physical fitness include maintaining
healthy weight, having energy and strength for routine activities, good
muscle tone, bone strength, strong heart/lung systems, and improved
mental health. Personal exercise, especially developing cardiovascular
endurance, is the foundation of physical fitness.

The potential for accidents and the existence of hazards
imposes the need for injury prevention. Safe living involves the development
and use of safety precautions and the recognition of risk in personal
decisions. Injury prevention has personal and social dimensions.

The use of tobacco increases the risk of illness. Students
should understand the influence of short-term social and psychological
factors that lead to tobacco use, and the possible long-term detrimental
effects of smoking and chewing tobacco.

Alcohol and other drugs are often abused substances.
Such drugs change how the body functions and can lead to addiction.

Sex drive is a natural human function that requires
understanding. Sex is also a prominent means of transmitting diseases.
The diseases can be prevented through a variety of precautions.

Natural environments may contain substances (for example,
radon and lead) that are harmful to human beings. Maintaining environmental
health involves establishing or monitoring quality standards, related
to use of soil, water, and air.

Populations, resources, and environments

When an area becomes overpopulated, the environment
will become degraded due to the increased use of resources.

Causes of environmental degradation and resource depletion
vary from region to region and from country to country.

Natural Hazards

Internal and external processes of the earth system
cause natural hazards, events that change or destroy human and wildlife
habitats, damage property, and harm or kill humans. Natural hazards
include earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, floods,
storms, and even possible impacts of asteroids.

Human activities also can induce hazards through resources
acquisition, urban growth, land-use decisions, and waste disposal. Such
activities can accelerate many natural changes.

Natural hazards can present personal and societal challenges
because miss identifying the change or incorrectly estimating the rate
and scale of change may result in either too little attention and significant
human costs or too much cost for unneeded preventative measures.

Risks and Benefits

Risk analysis considers the type of hazard and estimates
the number of people that might be exposed and the number likely to
suffer consequences. The results are used to determine the options for
reducing or eliminating risks.

Students should understand the risks associated with
natural hazards (fires, floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes,
and volcanic eruptions). with chemical hazards (pollutants in air, water,
soil, and food), with biological hazards (pollen, viruses, bacterial,
and parasite), social hazards (occupational safety and transportation).
and with personal hazards (smoking, dieting, and drinking).

Individuals can use a systematic approach to thinking
critically about risks and benefits. Examples include applying probability
estimates to risks and comparing them to estimated personal and social
benefits.

Important personal and social decisions are made based
on perceptions of benefits and risks.

Science and Technology in Society

Science influences society through its knowledge and
world view. Scientific knowledge and world view. Scientific knowledge
and the procedures used by scientists influence the way many individuals
in society think about themselves, others, and the environment. The
effect of science on society is neither entirely beneficial nor entirely
detrimental

Society challenges often inspire questions for scientific,
research, and social priorities often influence research priorities
through the availability of funding for research.

Technology influences society through its products
and processes. Technology influences the quality of life and the ways
people act and interact. Technological change are often accompanied
by social, political, and economic changes that can be beneficial or
detrimental to individuals and to society. Social needs, attitudes,
and values influence the direction of technological development.

Science and technology have advanced through contributions
of many different people, in different cultures, at different times
in history. Science and technology have contributed enormously to economic
growth and productivity among societies and groups within societies.

Scientists and engineers work in many different settings,
including colleges and universities, businesses and industries, specific
research institutes, and government agencies.

Scientists and engineers have ethical codes requiring
that human subjects involved with research be fully informed about risks
and benefits associated with the research before the individuals choose
to participate. This ethic extends to potential risks to communities
and property. In short, prior knowledge and consent are required for
research involving human subjects or potential damage to property.

Science cannot answer all questions and technology
cannot solve all human problems or meet all human needs. students should
understand the difference between scientific and other questions. They
should appreciate what science and technology can reasonably contribute
to society and what they cannot do. For example, new technology can
reasonably contribute to society and what they cannot do. For example,
new technologies often will decrease some risks and increase others.

History & Nature of Science Content Standard
G:

As a result of activities in grades 5-8, all students
should develop understanding of

Science as a human endeavor

Women and men of various social and ethnic backgrounds-and
with diverse interests, talents, qualities,, and motivations-engage
in the activities of science, engineering, and related fields such as
the health professions. Some scientists work in teams, and some work
alone, but all communicate extensively with others.

Science requires different abilities, depending on
such factors as the field of study and type of inquiry. Science is very
much a human endeavor, and the work of science relies on basic human
qualities, such as reasoning, insight, energy, skill, and creativity-as
well as on scientific habits of the mind, such as intellectual honesty,
tolerance of ambiguity, skepticism, and openness to new ideas.

Nature of Science

Scientists formulate and test their explanations of
nature using observations, experiments, and theoretical and mathematical
models. Although all scientific ideas are tentative and subject to change
and improvement in principle, for most major ideas in science, there
is much experimental and observational confirmation. Those ideas are
not likely to change greatly in the future. Scientists do and have changed
their ideas about nature when they encounter new experimental evidence
that does not match their existing explanations

In areas where active research is being pursued and
in which there is not a great deal of experimental or observational
evidence and understanding, it is normal for scientists to differ with
one another about the interpretation of the evidence or theory being
considered. Different scientists might publish conflicting experimental
results or might draw different conclusions from the same data. Ideally,
scientists acknowledge such conflict and work towards finding evidence
that will resolve their disagreement.

It is part of scientific inquiry to evaluate the results
of scientific investigations, experiments, observations, theoretical
models, and the explanations proposed by other scientists. Evaluation
includes reviewing the experimental procedures, examining the evidence,
identifying faulty reasoning, pointing out statements that go beyond
the evidence, and suggesting alternative explanations for the same observations.
Although scientists may disagree about explanations of phenomena, about
interpretations of data, or about the value of rival theories, they
do agree that questioning, response to criticism, and open communication
are integral to the process of science. As scientific knowledge evolves,
major disagreements are eventually resolved through such interactions
between scientists.

History of Science

Many individuals have contributed to the traditions
of science. Studying some of these individuals provides further understanding
of scientific inquiry, science as a human endeavor, the nature of science,
and the relationships between science and society.

In historical perspective, science has been practiced
by different individuals in different cultures. In looking at the history
of many peoples, one finds that scientists and engineers of high achievement
are considered to be among the most valued contributors to their culture.

Tracing the history of science can show how difficult
it was for scientific innovators to break through the accepted ideas
of their time to reach to conclusions that we currently take for granted.